As asset reliability collaborators within the industrial segment, SKF and AWS are taking scalability of condition monitoring and data analysis to a new level as well as collaborating on the next generation of SKF’s condition monitoring technologies.

Gothenburg, 26 April 2022: SKF and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company have announced a collaboration to reinvent the field of industrial machine reliability and predictive maintenance with a joint solution. The engagement will deliver an easy-to-use and easy-to-scale condition monitoring and analysis solution that makes the ability to collect and analyze data using machine learning technologies available to a wider range of applications and customers.

As a first step, SKF will combine its knowledge of rotating machinery and predictive maintenance with AWS’s Industrial AI servicesthat bring industrial expertise, AI and machine learning technologies together. The solution is comprised of sensors, gateways and a machine learning service that is easy to install, commission, and scale. SKF and AWS will also collaborate on the next generation of SKF’s data analysis platform.

By adding this solution to its current portfolio of condition monitoring products, SKF can help large manufacturing sites increase the number of rotating assets in the end user’s predictive maintenance programs by several thousands. SKF’s solution will provide these sites with machine alerts and alarms, enabling smarter, better decision making, and more efficient maintenance planning and scheduling. The same solution can also be utilized by entry-level users and small to mid-sized manufacturers, making the ability to use AI-driven analysis available to a larger portion of the industrial market segment.

John Schmidt, President Industrial Region Americas of SKF, says: “The key to maximizing the business value of machine data lies in scale. With more condition monitoring tools available for a wider variety of their assets, end users will gain more insights leading them to improved machine performance.”

Vasi Philomin, Vice President of AI Services at AWS says: “AWS's engagement with SKF spotlights how machine learning technologies, combined with scalability of the AWS cloud and condition monitoring expertise, can come together to improve operational efficiencies for industrial customers. Together with SKF, we are excited to deliver scalable, easy-to-use industrial solutions that will accelerate the pace of operational innovation for industrial customers of all sizes.”

SKF’s mission is to be the undisputed leader in the bearing business. We do this by offering solutions that reduce friction and CO2 emissions, whilst at the same time increasing machine uptime and performance. Our products and services around the rotating shaft include bearings, seals, lubrication management, artificial intelligence and wireless condition monitoring. SKF is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 17,000 distributor locations worldwide. Annual sales in 2021 were SEK 81,732 million and the number of employees was 42,602. www.skf.com

® SKF is a registered trademark of the SKF Group.

The impact evaluation of a fire that broke out on Saturday May 7 at Valmet’s Rautpohja factory site in Jyväskylä, Finland, is ongoing. The fire, which started at a workshop during a roll test and caused minor injuries to one employee, was fully extinguished over the weekend. The official investigations by the authorities are ongoing at the factory site.

The majority of machine workshops at the Rautpohja factory site are unimpacted. Valmet is planning to continue production later this week in these unimpacted machine workshop areas. Additionally, Engineering, Foundry, Service Center and Pilot machine operations are continuing normally.

Impacted machine workshop areas include parts of roll manufacturing and preassembly, and these areas are temporarily closed. This affects temporarily the work of approximately 120 employees, which is around 5 percent of the total number of employees at the Rautpohja site.

The impact assessment of the fire to the business continuity and customer deliveries has been started, and the final outcome will be known once the official investigations have been concluded and the full scale of the incident is clear.

“I want to thank our people at the site for professional actions right after the fire broke. The impact evaluation of the fire is now ongoing, and we continue to support our employees and customers during this time. Optional alternatives for impacted operations will be implemented, if needed. We have several alternative units and partners available, out of which many operate locally. Alternatives in Scandinavia, Europe and globally are being evaluated, too,” says Jari Vähäpesola, President, Paper business line, Valmet.

Valmet’s Rautpohja factory in Jyväskylä produces paper and board machines, pulp drying machine wet ends and special components. Valmet employs approximately 1,850 people at the Rautpohja site.

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. With our automation systems and flow control solutions we serve an even wider base of process industries.

We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers. Our 17,000 professionals work close to our customers and are committed to improving our customers’ performance – every day.

The company has over 220 years of industrial history and a strong track record in continuous improvement and renewal. In 2022, a major milestone was achieved when the flow control company Neles was merged into Valmet. The combined company’s net sales in 2021 was approximately EUR 4.5 billion based on the respective company figures.

Valmet’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and the head office is in Espoo, Finland.    

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A fire broke out at Valmet’s Rautpohja factory in Jyväskylä, Finland, today around 10:40 a.m. EEST. Due to the fire, evacuation of employees was carried out. The fire caused minor injuries to one employee, who received treatment in hospital, but has already been released.

The fire that started at a workshop during a roll test has been now extinguished. The origin of the fire is under investigation.

The impacts of the fire to the factory site, business continuity and customer deliveries will be assessed once the site is safe to enter and full scale of the incident is known.

“We are relieved that our employees were mostly unharmed by this unfortunate fire. We will give psychological support to impacted employees, co-operate with authorities with root-cause investigation and assess the financial impacts and business continuity as soon as it is possible,” says Jari Vähäpesola, President, Paper business line, Valmet.

Valmet’s Rautpohja factory in Jyväskylä produces paper and board machines, pulp drying machine wet ends and special components. Valmet employs approximately 1,850 people at the Rautpohja site.

For further information, please contact: 
Jari Vähäpesola, President, Paper business line, Valmet, tel. +358 40 558 6555

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. With our automation systems and flow control solutions we serve an even wider base of process industries.

We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers. Our 17,000 professionals work close to our customers and are committed to improving our customers’ performance – every day.

The company has over 220 years of industrial history and a strong track record in continuous improvement and renewal. In 2022, a major milestone was achieved when the flow control company Neles was merged into Valmet. The combined company’s net sales in 2021 was approximately EUR 4.5 billion based on the respective company figures.

Valmet’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and the head office is in Espoo, Finland.    

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Thanks to an innovative approach, technologies developed by the Körber Group as well as by highly qualified external partners are integrated into a single solution embracing the entire value chain.

With its proven experience in the Tissue sector and cutting-edge research and development capabilities, Körber Business Area Tissue is transitioning from being a machinery supplier to becoming a strategic partner providing technologically advanced and integrated solutions through the Körber ecosystem.

That is a revolutionary market approach. The technologies involved in the entire tissue converting process are now integrated into a single solution, from raw paper to finished product, up to distribution logistics.

Simone Barsanti, Strategy and M&A Director.In the Körber ecosystem all the machines making up the production line, from parent reel unwinding to palletization, including those developed by companies external to the Körber Group, are connected to each other and controlled by Sam Flow, a dedicated piece of software that continually monitors the process and is capable of self-adjusting the main production parameters to deliver the maximum production efficiency possible given the desired characteristics of the finished products.

This "one-stop-shop" concept adopted by Körber Business Area Tissue aims to simplify the tissue converting and packaging practices, even from a commercial perspective, with a single contact point offering customers a wide range of benefits - from the best technology solution based on the specific market requirements, to full support in defining the optimal line layout by minimizing industrial footprint. This translates into significant savings not only in terms of production time and costs but also in purchasing efficiencies – multiple agreements with various parties are now replaced by a single commercial contract with unified clauses addressing the entire scope of supply.

"The Körber ecosystem represents a significant turning point for Tissue market. This is a new concept of partnership with a strategic long-term view over investments and the adoption of breakthrough technologies to enable our customers to capture new growth opportunities." comments, Simone Barsanti, Strategy and M&A Director.

The Körber ecosystem will be presented next June at iT's Tissue 2022, and during the days of the event, it will be possible to view a impressive example of how the individual machines dialogue with each other to obtain the maximum production efficiency possible. In particular, Körber will present the new Perini Vega S8 lines for converting large diameter rolls typical of both "away-from-home" and consumer products, MTC ITF Change for interfolded products featuring an easy cut-off format change, which is possible by simply replacing the drawer containing the folding rolls, and Casmatic Zephyrus for packaging roll and folded products with recycled cardboard boxes also in mixed format - a sustainable concept dedicated to the e-commerce channel, and the PA15 solution for innovative, fast and flexible palletizing.

Körber Business Area Tissue

At Körber, our ultimate goal is to empower our customers’ ongoing success. We are the only truly integrated and global provider of advanced solutions for the tissue business. We offer the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of tissue technology to support customers across the entire value chain — from roll to fold, from converting to packaging. Our advanced, automated, and easy-to-use integrated solutions are a fundamental asset to shape the success in tissue, take our customers operations to the next level, and strengthen their overall financial performance while optimizing their total cost of ownership.

About Körber

We are Körber – an international technology group with about 10,000 employees, more than 100 locations worldwide and a common goal. We turn entrepreneurial thinking into customer success and shape the technological change. In the Business Areas Digital, Pharma, Supply Chain, Tissue and Tobacco, we offer products, solutions and services that inspire. We act fast to customer needs, we execute ideas seamlessly, and with our innovations we create added value for our customers. In doing so, we are increasingly building on ecosystems that solve the challenges of today and tomorrow. Körber AG is the holding company of the Körber Group.

The growing importance of a bioeconomy strategy based on renewable raw materials is clearly reflected in the program of the ZELLCHEMING Conference - Cellulose-Based Materials. The great potential of cellulose, the main component of plant cell walls and thus the world's most abundant organic compound, will be addressed in 24 scientific and technical presentations by internationally renowned speakers. The event, which will take place from June 26 to 29, 2022, at the RheinMain CongressCenter (RMCC) in Wiesbaden, Germany, will for the first time bridge the gap between innovative research on cellulose-based as well as -derived polymers and scientific work in the field of probably the best-known material built from cellulose: paper.

As a joint initiative of professors from the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of Jena, as well as the ZELLCHEMING association with its technical committees, the event brings together industry and research institutes in the fields of chemistry, physics and engineering and facilitates an active exchange. Young researchers are also actively involved and present their own work as a poster show.

"We are very pleased that we have been able to attract internationally renowned representatives from science and industry to speak at our event," says Prof. Dr. Markus Biesalski, Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry and Paper Chemistry at TU Darmstadt. "The lecture program is an expression of the increasing dovetailing of the wood- and recycled fiber-based paper industry with companies and scientists in the field of cellulose chemistry who are dedicated to the use of cellulose polymers in sustainable products. With our conference, we would like to provide a framework for this content in the future!" explains Prof. Dr.-Ing. Samuel Schabel, Head of the Department of Paper Manufacturing and Mechanical Process Engineering at TU Darmstadt. "The great global response - in addition to speakers from Europe, we have also hosted colleagues from the USA, Canada and Australia, among other countries - shows that we have hit a nerve," adds Prof. Dr. Thomas Heinze, Director of the Center of Excellence for Polysaccharides at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena.

The program of the three-day conference is divided into different sessions, each led by Professors Heinze, Biesalski and Schabel:  Cellulose Chemistry and Physics; Paper Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of Lignocellulose; Paper and Pulp Engineering; and Paper Engineering, Physics & Characterization. Highlights include insights into pharmaceutical and bio-medical applications, cellulose processing capabilities, film production, paper-based diagnostic tools, or sustainable energy generation.

"This international conference offers new impulses and promotes interdisciplinary approaches. There are also many opportunities for personal discussions and the expansion of the network, for example at the Get-Together and the Conference Dinner. In addition, we are pleased that the third day of the conference coincides with the first day of the ZELLCHEMING-Expo 2022, so that participants can also visit this high-profile event," summarizes Petra Hanke, Managing Director of ZELLCHEMING Service GmbH.

The complete program can be found here: https://www.zellcheming.de/download_file/view/1750/366

ZELLCHEMING Conference website

Interested parties can find more information about the event on the website: https://www.zellcheming.de/veranstaltungen/zellcheming-conference

Participant Registration

Registration for participants is open and can be done at the following link: https://pretix.eu/zellcheming/conference/

LinkedIn group

A joint initiative of the ZELLCHEMING association with its technical committees and the Technical University of Darmstadt. International experts working in the field of cellulose-based materials exchange information in this group and are informed about current developments in this field. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13829181/

Metsä Group has been selected as the most startup-friendly company in Finland in 2021. The award is presented by the entrepreneurial and startup community Tribe Tampere.

"Metsä Group has actively developed its cooperation with the startup field, most concretely by establishing the innovation company Metsä Spring about four years ago. We are very grateful and proud that our determined contribution has led to this recognition,” says Erik Kolehmainen, who is responsible for Corporate Venturing operations at Metsä Group.

Spring start-upSelection criteria for the award include a strong startup attitude and actions in a wide spectrum, including supporting the actors in the startup ecosystem. This year the emphasis was on the companies’ actions that have been carried out to tackle challenges during the pandemic and its unprecedented consequences to the world around us.

"Metsä Spring has shown great dedication in supporting the startup scene in Finland and presented the information in the competition in a clear and detailed format”, the award jury comments.

Metsä Spring invests in promising startups and early-stage companies with a visible path to the Metsä Group business ecosystem. Metsä Spring has come across thousands of new ideas and has thus far assessed more than 500 potential wood-based innovations, five of which it has since invested in. The three startup investments (Woodio, Montinutra and Innomost) have in common that their own production is based on side-streams from Metsä Group's production units. The other two investments are Metsä Spring's own demo projects, related to novel textile fibres and 3D packaging products. You can read more about our active projects on Metsä Spring's website.

Metsä Spring has currently two roles in its operations. According to its original role, Metsä Spring seeks and develops new business opportunities for Metsä Group. This role also involves active cooperation with startup companies. In 2021, Metsä Spring's role was expanded by establishing a Group-level R&D function within Metsä Spring. The aim of this function is to support and promote R&D activities in Metsä Group's existing business areas.

METSÄ GROUP

Metsä Spring
www.metsaspring.com

Innovation company Metsä Spring invests expertise and financial resources into initiatives with the ambition to reshape the forest-based bioeconomy, aiming to increase the value for Metsä Group’s stakeholders in the long-term.

Metsä Group
www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group is leading the way in advancing the bioeconomy. We invest in growth, bioproduct development and a fossil free future. The raw material for our products is renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. We focus on the growth sectors of the forest industry: wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards, as well as tissue and greaseproof papers.

Metsä Group’s annual sales amount to approximately EUR 6 billion, and we have around 9,500 employees in 30 countries. Our international Group has its roots in the Finnish forests: our parent company is Metsäliitto Cooperative which is owned by nearly 100,000 forest owners. 

As governments around the world turn to the benefits of sustainable forest management and forest products to support climate action and post-pandemic economic recovery, a new agreement struck today at the World Forestry Congress in Seoul will help advance forestry solutions and policy dialogue around the world.

The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) Secretariat and the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA), of which Cepi is a member, announced a new partnership that will make ICFPA the focal of the forest sector globally, providing a framework for the two organizations to work together to discuss and implement forest-related policies and agreements that are good for people and the planet.

Quotes:

“The United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030 calls for a world where forests are sustainably managed, contribute to sustainable development, and provide economic, social, environmental, and cultural benefits for present and future generations. An estimated 1.6 billion people, or 25% of the global population, rely on forests for their subsistence needs, livelihoods, employment, and income. The private sector is fundamental in the promotion and implementation of sustainable forest management, so working with our partners in the forest industry will be critical to our ultimate success and we are delighted to have ICFPA supporting the UN Forum on Forests in this important work.”

Barbara Tavora-Jainchill – Programme Management Officer, Forest Affairs, United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations 

“There is no path to a lower carbon economy without sustainable forest management and sustainably sourced forest products. This new collaboration between ICFPA and UNFF will allow us to advance policy insights and learnings across international borders to build a resilient global economy – one that creates greater economic and social opportunities for the nearly 2 billion people who live in or near forested communities around the globe.”

Derek Nighbor - President ICFPA (International Council of Forest and Paper Associations)

About the UNEF:

In October 2000, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC), in its Resolution 2000/35 established the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), a subsidiary body with the main objective to promote “… the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to this end…” based on the Rio Declaration, the Forest Principles, Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 and the outcome of the IPF/IFF Processes and other key milestones of international forest policy.

The Forum has universal membership and is composed of all Member States of the United Nations and specialized agencies.

The participation of a wide range of these stakeholders is crucial to the achievement of sustainable forest management. For this reason, the Forum welcomes and encourages the active participation of forest-related stakeholders who within the context of the Forum are referred to as Major Groups, including:

• Business and Industry
• Children and Youth
• Farmers
• Indigenous People
• Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)
• Local Authorities
• Scientific and Technological Community
• Women
• Workers and Trade Unions

About the ICFPA:

The ICFPA serves as a forum of global dialogue, coordination, and co-operation across the global forest sector. 

Currently, the ICFPA represents 18 pulp, paper, wood, and wood fibre-based associations that encompass 28 countries, including many of the top pulp, paper, and wood producers around the world.

The ICFPA advances global positions on climate smart forestry and forest products, the carbon neutrality of biomass and commercial forest plantations to help drive a circular future rooted in renewable forest resources. 

The Strategic Plan provides a global framework for actions at all levels to sustainably manage all types of forests and trees outside forests and halt deforestation.

At the heart of the Strategic Plan are six Global Forest Goals and 26 associated targets to be achieved by 2030, which are voluntary and universal. 

About Cepi :

Cepi is the European association representing the paper industry. We offer a wide range of renewable and recyclable wood-based fibre solutions to EU citizens: from packaging to textile, hygiene and tissue products, printing and graphic papers as well as speciality papers, but also bio-chemicals for food and pharmaceuticals, bio-composites and bioenergy. We are a responsible industry: 86% of our raw materials are sourced from within the European Union and 78% of the wood comes from certified forests, 92% of the water we use is returned in good condition to the environment. We are the world champion in recycling at the rate of 73.9%. At the forefront of the decarbonisation and industrial transformation of our economy, we embrace digitalisation and bring 18.5 billion value addition to the European economy and €4.5 billion investments annually. Through its 18 national associations, Cepi gathers 495 companies operating 895 mills across Europe and directly employing more than 180,000 people.

More information about our sustainability performance here. 

This commercial success was achieved thanks to the third E-WIND® P100 ordered by Maanshan Huawang New Materials Technology in three years.

A.Celli is pleased to announce the achievement of an important commercial milestone: the sale of 100 paper rewinders in the Chinese market.

The 100^th machine, an E-WIND® P100 designed to process special decorative paper jumbo rolls with a maximum width of 3860 mm and diameter of 2800 mm at a speed of 2200 mpm, will be delivered to Maanshan Huawang’s plant in the Anhui province, China, where it will join the two A.Celli paper rewinders previously supplied in 2019 and 2021.

This is the result of A.Celli's commitment to the Chinese market, which begain in 2000 with the foundation of A.Celli Shanghai Machinery, and continued in the years to come with the opening of a new branch, the A.Celli Foshan Technology, in 2019.

“On behalf of the A.Celli Group, I thank all the Chinese partners who have trusted in our innovative solutions and technology over the years. This support will push us towards a continued and tangible improvement of our products” says Valter Canelli, Sales Director of A.Celli Paper.

Valmet will supply a Valmet IQ Warp Control System for corrugator to Dunapack Packaging's Plovdiv plant in Bulgaria. The target of the investment is to decrease warp waste and improve the total productivity of the plant.

The order was included in Valmet's orders received of the first quarter 2022. The delivery is scheduled for August 2022. The value of the order will not be disclosed.

“Our mission at Dunapack Packaging is to provide high quality and innovative packaging solutions, and we are constantly searching for development ideas and new technologies. Finding a reliable business partner with a proven portfolio in the field of process control automation was extremely important for us. We are confident that the reliability and capabilities of Valmet’s process control system will help us achieve our ambitious targets”, says Ivo Basmadzhiev, Quality Specialist at Dunapack Packaging Plovdiv.

“We are very happy to deliver our latest Valmet IQ technology for corrugators at the Dunapack Packaging Plovdiv plant to support the customer in reducing the warp and decrease their moisture variations. This is the first order within the Dunapack group for our corrugator quality controls”, says Udo Schober, Sales Manager, Automation Systems business line, Valmet.

Technical information about the delivery

Delivery includes a Valmet IQ Moisturizer which is the industry’s most advanced moisturizing system and Valmet IQ Warp control system to automatically control corrugated board flatness. Corrugator quality controls are becoming more and more important, as boxes are being made out of a lighter-weighted board, production speeds are increasing, and production batches are smaller bringing more grade changes to corrugator. The Valmet IQ Quality Control System will eliminate moisture and temperature variations by online measurements and close-loop controls in all kinds of process situations.

About the customer

Dunapack Packaging in Plovdiv has been a leading producer of corrugated board and packaging in Bulgaria for more than 60 years. Dunapack Packaging is part of the Austrian Prinzhorn Group, a European market leader in the packaging, paper and recycling industry.  With its 24 sites in 11 countries within Europe, Dunapack Packaging produces 2.81 Bn m² corrugated board and delivers innovative packaging solutions made of corrugated packaging. All products are 100% recyclable.

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. With our automation systems and flow control solutions we serve an even wider base of process industries.  

We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers. Our 17,000 professionals work close to our customers and are committed to improving our customers’ performance – every day. 

The company has over 220 years of industrial history and a strong track record in continuous improvement and renewal. In 2022, a major milestone was achieved when the flow control company Neles was merged into Valmet. The combined company’s net sales in 2021 was approximately EUR 4.5 billion based on the respective company figures.  

Valmet’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and the head office is in Espoo, Finland.     

Follow us on valmet.com